Best Pop Band

Deep Sea Diver

It's been a while since a local band has had as much star potential as Deep Sea Diver. The trio's founder and frontwoman, California transplant Jessica Dobson, is already a name in the music world, having played in touring bands with Beck, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Shins, and her own band has just as much poise and polish as those more famous acts. Deep Sea Diver puts on an unbelievably tight live show, with Dobson singing and riffing on her electric guitar, backed by bassist John Raines and drummer Peter Mansen—Dobson's husband, who behind his kit looks like Animal from the Muppets. The band's debut LP, this year's History Speaks, is a collection of nine emotive, elegant pop songs that retain all the live-wire energy of their stage performances. History Speaks was self-released, but it's only a matter of time before a label snaps them up. ERIN K. THOMPSON thedeepseadiver.com